Investing.com research reveals that nearly two-thirds of retail investors use AI to make investment decisions
65% of AI users say the technology has improved market performance
New York, NY, April 6, 2026 — Nearly two-thirds of U.S. retail investors now use artificial intelligence to inform their investment decisions, according to a new Investing.com survey of 938 U.S. investors. This highlights how rapidly AI tools are becoming integrated into the retail investing environment.
The survey found that 62% of respondents said they had used AI tools to support their investment decisions, highlighting the increasing role that artificial intelligence is playing in the way investors research markets, analyze opportunities and generate trade ideas.
“There are probably few industries where AI has proven to be as disruptive as quickly as the financial industry,” said Thomas Monteiro, senior analyst at Investing.com. “This is even more pronounced for retail investors, where companies can now provide access to a full range of financial-grade tools at a fraction of the cost just a few years ago.”
Among respondents, 24% said they use AI tools regularly, 27% said they use them sometimes, and 11% said they have experimented with them once or twice. Meanwhile, 21% said they have not yet used AI but are considering it, and 17% said they have no plans to use AI tools for investing.
The survey also suggests that many investors believe technology is improving business performance. Approximately 65% of investors who have used AI say it has improved their performance in the market, with 17% saying it has improved their performance significantly and 48% saying it has improved it somewhat.
“Broader access to complex financial models has rapidly leveled the playing field, allowing retail investors to compete on almost the same level as professional investors,” Monteiro added. “In the near future, those without access to these models may be left behind as market sophistication widens the gap between good and bad decisions.”
AI tools are increasingly being used in a wide range of investment activities. According to research:
- 62% of respondents say they use AI to research stocks and other assets
- 35% use AI to better understand financial news and market trends
- 34% use AI to generate investment and trading ideas
- 22% use AI to help make portfolio decisions
Among the specific tools, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT are the most widely used, with 54% of respondents saying they have used them for investment-related research.
At the same time, the survey highlights that many investors remain wary of relying entirely on AI-generated insights. 54% say they trust AI analysis only to some extent and usually use other sources to verify information, and 23% say they trust AI analysis most or completely.
Looking ahead, many investors expect the use of AI tools to increase. More than half of respondents expect to use AI more in the future, with 38% saying they plan to use AI significantly in the future.
The survey also found that investors see several key benefits from AI-powered investment tools. Nearly 40% say AI will help them analyze market data faster, and 15% say it will help them reduce emotional decision-making and improve discipline in their investment strategies.
However, respondents also revealed some concerns surrounding AI-driven investments. 39% said they were worried about inaccurate or misleading recommendations, 24% said they were worried that widespread use of AI could cause market herding, and 21% said they were worried about investors relying too much on automated tools.
The findings come as financial platforms increasingly deploy AI-powered tools designed to help investors analyze markets and gain insights faster.
Additional results from the survey, including a detailed breakdown of how investors are using AI and how often they rely on these tools, are available in the full analysis on the Investing.com blog.
You can read the full survey results here:
https://www.investing.com/blog/how-retail-investors-are-using-ai-in-2026-339
methodology
The survey was conducted from March 3 to 10, 2026, and is based on responses from 938 U.S. adult investors in Investing.com’s user database.
About Investing.com
Investing.com is the world’s leading financial platform, providing real-time data, tools and market analysis across over 120,000 financial products. Available in 33 languages, we serve more than 60 million users each month who seek actionable insights to invest smarter. The company continues to expand its AI-powered InvestingPro suite, including WarrenAI and ProPicks AI, designed to give all investors access to professional-level analysis.
